Katayun's Page

Welcome to My Personal Stepping Out to Cure Scleroderma Page!

Dear Friends - I will be participating in the “Stepping Out to Cure Scleroderma” walk-a-thon and I need your support!

I walk to support the cause and help those suffering from this disease. My mission is personal. As many of you know thanks to your tremendous support in the past, my mother has been suffering from Scleroderma for many years. Her condition has unfortunately been getting worse. But, thanks to her doctors and the Foundation, she and my family feel supported.

Please help the cause by joining my team! If you don't think you are able to participate but would still like to support the organization and my efforts, please click on the "Support Katayun".

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts. All contributions are for the Scleroderma Foundation to use to help find a cure for those whose lives have been affected by scleroderma.

Scleroderma – misunderstood, misdiagnosed, underfunded – is a chronic connective tissue disease, classified as one of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases.The disease affects 300,000 people, 80% of which are women.The disease is complex and painful, and it has the potential to affect every organ in a person’s body.The disease can be localized or systemic.If it is localized it affects mainly the skin by hardening the skin.If it is systemic it can affect organs by hardening the organs.The cause is unknown, and there is no cure.The SFDV chapter supports patients in 3 states, Eastern Pennsylvania, portions of New Jersey and Delaware, partnering with 3 centers, the Scleroderma Centers at University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Jefferson Health System and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and promoting 3 goals, educating the community, advocating for research and patients, and fighting for a cure.The funds that SFDV raises go to these missions.We rely on the support and generosity of donors to support our community as well as the mission of the National Foundation which is also 3 fold - support, education and research.The National Foundation and its chapters are the leading source of scleroderma related research and allocates $1 million annually through the Foundation’s research program.

If you would like to find out more about scleroderma and the Foundation, please visit www.scleroderma.org.

Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!